What Could Be
by brigid1318
Summary: Raven's point-of-view. Mystique is determined to win Beast over to her side, but there's just the little obstacle of his wife and opposing life philosophies between them. An exploration of Mystique's thoughts through chapters 60 through 64 of Take A Chance.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Hi, everyone! So, this story is a companion piece to Take A Chance. It spans from the end of Chapter 60 through to 64. It won't make any sense if you haven't read the other story! I think this will be two or three chapters at most, but here's the first one._

_Raven is kinda fun to write for, because she's such a selfish bi-atch. She's so narrow-minded (even though she accuses everyone else of being so) that she can't see what a big, childish hypocrite she is. Writing from such a negative view point is a little exhausting, but at the same time... It's kinda nice not to think as hard as I do when I write from Hank's POV, haha._

_As for Raven's feelings for Hank... I think she sees a shiny toy someone else is playing with and wants it for herself. Oh, and a pawn in her game, of course. She's got a lot going on. I hope you enjoy the insight into her crazy mind!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men._

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><p><strong>Part One<strong>

_"Mystique,"_ Erik's voice greeted me shortly over the phone.

"Erik," I replied, in kind.

_"Meet me at the mansion as quickly as you can,"_ he instructed. _"It's important."_

"Why-?"

He hung up before I managed to get the question out.

I sighed and tossed the phone back on its cradle.

Erik could be quite eloquent when he chose to be- I could still remember the way his words awoke me to the truth of my brother Charles' foolishness all those years ago.

He helped open my eyes to the reality of the world, the purity and strength of our race when compared to the pitifulness that was humanity. I would follow him to the death, but sometimes his brusqueness got on my nerves.

I stole a car with ease, leaving behind our crummy hotel room behind and making it to the mansion within twenty minutes.

I sneered as I regarded the building I spent eighteen years living in. The Raven who lived here was young, foolish, and naive. Being here only reminded me of that, and I hated it accordingly.

Erik was waiting for me, fresh from one of his weird chess meetings with Charles.

Their relationship tended to give me headaches if I tried to puzzle it out.

I couldn't help loving my adoptive brother, after so many years together. Even if he'd been a condescending prick who tried to control me for much of that time.

But Erik had no loving background to fall back on in regards to the telepath who so stubbornly opposed our righteous agenda. Their philosophies were so different, by all rights they should hate each other. I didn't understand those two at all.

Erik turned wordlessly and headed inside, leaving me to follow him. It was only once we were inside that he finally answered my silent questions.

"Charles received a call on the radio during our meeting," Erik explained. "It seems the FOH has kidnapped Beast's wife-"

Beast.

Hank McCoy, the shy, insecure boy I once thought myself infatuated with. That coward who hid his true self, who'd wanted me to hide from the world right along with him. He was just like Charles, wanting mutants to be ashamed of ourselves, when we should be proud of what we were.

Beast was married now. I wondered if it was to that girl I'd seen him with several years ago, when I berated him for still hiding?

I remembered that girl. Green eyes and red lips that were too big for her freckled little face, perfectly curled hair, petite stature- she'd looked like a puny, porcelain doll. Too soft and pretty for the real world. Even her self-righteous little speech spoke to how pathetically sheltered she was.

I'd hated her for daring to speak to me like that, like she had any idea of the things I'd been through. In my opinion, if she let herself get kidnapped, it served her right.

"-in the hopes that Beast would create a cure for being a mutant," Erik continued. "The X-Men are planning to go rescue her, once Charles locates her."

Well that was rich. This is what all of Hank's hiding got him.

"What does this have to do with us?" I asked coolly.

"Think, Mystique," Erik chided me. "If anything is going to show the X-Men the truth about humanity, this would be it."

I could see what he was getting at. He saw an opportunity to get Beast, Havok or Banshee to join our Brotherhood and our quest for mutants to take their rightful superior places in society. Surely the loss of one of their own could push at least one of them into it.

"You know what to do," Erik concluded simply.

And I did. We were almost always on the same page, Erik and I.

By this time we were in the hangar under the school, waiting for the X-Men to get there. It took several minutes, by which time I was getting annoyed.

This was not how I planned to spend my Friday night, going off to rescue some little pipsqueak girl. I didn't care if she lived or died. Actually, it would probably be easier for us to persuade the others if her kidnappers killed her. Hmm...

Finally, the X-Men arrived. They looked shocked to see us.

"What the_ hell_ are you two doing here?" Havok demanded.

I ignored him- Havok was always surly. His attitude was nothing new, and therefore negligible.

My eyes immediately sought out Hank, who was currently in his Beast form. His expression betrayed no surprise at seeing us. He looked rather preoccupied, to be honest.

But he also looked good- really good. I supposed I could be thanked for that in a way, considering how my DNA had changed his. We were connected, no matter how much Hank tried to hide that fact.

"Hello to you too, Havok," Erik said, sounding amused.

Banshee and Havok glared down at Charles. Hank already had his eyes on the walkway into the jet, like he was contemplating just ditching the rest of us.

"Erik and Raven-" Charles began.

I almost corrected him, but decided it was useless. I had a feeling Charles wouldn't let go of "his" Raven unless I stopped talking to him completely.

"-have volunteered to help us rescue Zoey from the Friends of Humanity," he explained. "They heard about our predicament when Banshee radioed and want to assist us."

The X-Men exchanged suspicious looks. I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes while Havok and Banshee expressed their disbelief and Erik and Charles tried to assure them that our motives were pure. Charles was gullible like that.

Beast interrupted the argument by silently walking into the Blackbird, moving impatiently past the rest of us like we were beneath his notice.

Charles broke off his persuasions and looked at his henchmen hopefully.

Like an obedient dog, Havok sighed and followed Beast inside, glaring at us as he went. The rest of us trailed behind him.

It was time to get down to business.

I waited for Havok to finish whining to Hank about Erik and I coming along before I made my move and sat down in the co-pilot's chair.

He stiffened, but didn't protest. That was Hank- always polite, even when he was telling a girl humanity would always think she was ugly. Even though she'd just showered him with compliments about how wonderful he was. But of course he didn't listen.

The memory of that night made me feel slightly antagonistic.

"So," I announced pointedly. "You're married."

"Yes," he replied edgily.

Hank was so easy to rattle. Just my presence seemed to bother him.

"When did that happen?"

"Almost five years ago."

So it _was_ that same girl, little redheaded what's-her-face.

I pretended to pout, unable to resist. "Why wasn't I invited to your wedding?"

"I didn't think you warranted an invitation," he said stiffly.

I could tell I was really starting to irritate him now, though he was trying not to show it. His carefully controlled anger, bubbling just below the surface was actually rather... _attractive._

Attractive? _Beast?_ I didn't expect to feel that way about him after all these years, but it was undeniably true. Perhaps if I could remind him of how he used to feel for me, I could convince him to join us. It was definitely an idea.

"Well that hurts," I teased light-heartedly. "I would've _loved_ to see that happy day."

His jaw clenched, obviously taking my joke the wrong way. "Is this really the time to discuss such a thing?"

What? Was he expecting sympathy? Hank must've gotten me confused with someone else.

I felt no pity for his pain, attraction or not. This was his fault for hiding in the first place, for not understanding the ugliness of humanity.

Hank was definitely learning his lesson now, though. Finally he would see how terrible humans were. And his sheltered little wife would probably realize how wrong she was just in time to die.

I had to bite back a smile at the thought. This was going to be easy.

Meanwhile, Beast's hackles raised.

He looked... powerful. Wild and free. Beautiful. How could he not see that in himself? Why did he always insist on trying to be 'normal' and boring?

I had a feeling it was partly his wife's fault. Perhaps she liked his human form better, rather than how he _should_ be. It was an avenue of thought to explore.

"I have to ask- do you still hide from her? Can she stand to have you touch her when you're like this?" I asked sweetly, gesturing towards his huge, blue form.

I won't lie- I asked partly from sheer morbid curiosity. Did that pretty little girl let Beast touch her with his claws? Or did she completely reject her husband's true face, and demand that he hide from _her,_ too?

Probably. Little what's-her-face would never accept Beast's real form. Not the way I would...

For a brief moment I imagined what it would be like, if Beast would only see reason and join the Brotherhood. I would show him just what true acceptance was like, compared to the sham his marriage probably was. We could be great together, if only he left all of his shame and self-hatred behind.

But then Hank surprised me, sending the little scenario I constructed in my head crashing down.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Zoey loves me no matter what I look like," he replied.

Huh. I underestimated the pipsqueak.

"How nice," I muttered insincerely.

For a moment I reconsidered my options. It sounded like trying to get Hank to realize that his wife was all wrong for him was the wrong approach, to my disappointment. No, I needed to try something else...

If she didn't care what he looked like, it was Hank's own selfish vanity that made him hide.

Yes. That was the way to go about this.

"Charles says the the FOH took your pretty little wife hostage to get you to make a cure for being a mutant," I finally said.

"Yes," he agreed. He sounded wary.

"What made them think you could do it?" I pressed.

Hank sighed, like he knew where I was going. I had to hand it to him- despite his willful blindness in regards to humanity, Hank was the most intelligent man I knew.

"They did their research on me and realized I had a serum that suppressed my second mutation after some thugs caught us in an alley and I lost control," he muttered.

Bingo.

"You realize this wouldn't have happened if you didn't insist on hiding all the time," I said. "You say your wife accepts you. Well, if you'd just accepted _yourself_ in the first place, she wouldn't be-"

"Yes, I know that," Hank snapped. His words tumbled out. "I'm well aware that it's my fault my wife is being held hostage by a bunch of psychopathic degenerates who hate all of us just for existing, I had a woman who loved me and friends who didn't care what I looked like, but I selfishly wanted all of society to accept me. I didn't want to put Zoey through the stares and the comments from being married to a monster, and now she could _die_ because of my ego."

He glared at me, like he was daring me to say anything further.

So he already felt guilty about all of this. His anger should be easy to turn against the humans. And then, then he would join us.

"So now you see that hiding was never the answer," I told him. "Humans are always going to fear us, and we need to-"

"Save the proselytizing for a more receptive audience," Hank rudely cut in. "I have no interest listening to an ideology promulgated by a Holocaust survivor who believes in a 'superior race.' The irony would be laughable, were it not so shameful."

I almost lashed out at him for his continued ignorance. He was really going to let his grudge against Erik blind him to reality? Stupid, childish man.

"So you're going to go back to your worthless 'normal' facade when this is over? Give in to your petty desire to fit in?" I demanded.

"No," Hank replied, shaking his head. "I'm going to be myself, because hiding from now on will be too dangerous for my family. But I also realize that wanting an entire society to accept me is just as foolish and preposterous as wanting to destroy it completely and building a new one to suit my own needs."

That was definitely unexpected. He wasn't going to hide anymore- for his wife, he would willingly face the hatred of the humans. How noble of him.

I ignored the implied jab at my pro-mutant agenda. I was sure that if what's-her-face died, Hank would change his tune quick enough. He just wasn't properly motivated yet.

And if he joined us... Well, I definitely wouldn't mind helping him forget about her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Thank you to Rasha007, NotMarge, kmj1989, and SA Jedi DC of Marvel for the reviews! Sorry it took so long to come back to this, I've been busy writing/ editing Take A Chance. This was fun to write, though. Raven's in denial about some things, folks. You'll see what I mean ;-)_

_Thanks again for the support, guys! One more chapter after this one, I think. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Part Two<strong>

Charles let us know we'd arrived at that moment, cutting off our conversation. Hank looked relieved, which was actually quite pleasing to me. I was getting under his skin already.

The Friends of Humanity hicks were holding the pipsqueak hostage in a little podunk town's abandoned slaughterhouse. Hank navigated the jet over to a clearing and landed easily.

It was game time.

"So what's the plan?" Sean asked. "How many FOH guys are in there?"

Charles searched the building with his powers and told us the FOH was debating on keeping Beast's wife alive because she kept setting things on fire.

I wanted to scoff at that news. Too little, too late, pipsqueak. Tactically speaking, it was foolish to try to escape alone when surrounded by forty gun-toting assholes. What an idiot.

When my brother informed us that Little Miss Helpless was stuck in a freezer, Hank looked like he was about to go berserk. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from telling him to stop being so over-dramatic.

"How many are guarding her?" he snarled.

"Ten," Charles replied.

Erik suggested we split up.

I could already guess who I was going to be paired with, and I was both looking forward to it and dreading it. Anticipating it, because it would give me more time to work on getting Beast to change sides. Dreading it, because he was going to bore me if he kept up the histrionics.

Sean and Alex looked murderous when Charles suggested they work with Erik. I rolled my eyes at their stubborn stupidity.

Why were they complaining about the help? Erik was going to cream those rednecks without breaking a sweat. Did the X-Men want the girl back or not?

Oh, wait. They actually _cared_ whether or not the FOH pricks lived or died, thanks to their stupid, misguided principles. Somehow I had the feeling Erik and I were fighting a losing battle with these idiots.

But still. It was worth a shot.

"Alright. Beast, I'll walk you through it once you're inside," Charles concluded. "Good luck, all of you."

We left him in the jet and slipped through the trees to the edge of the woods, where the warehouse stood.

After Erik dispatched the three guards out front, he and the other two headed for the front door. Erik, as always, looked completely, admirably in control of the situation. Within minutes I could hear shots firing and Banshee's screams.

So now I was alone with Mr. Dramatic. It was time to get back to work, needling him about his wife, keeping him on edge just in case.

Hank let out a restless sigh and started to fidget.

"You nervous?" I guessed hopefully.

He looked at me, obviously confused.

"No," Hank replied. "Just impatient to get my wife back."

Huh. This was just too easy- he didn't even need my help. He was panicking already.

He was so _boring_. Attractive or not, his obsession with the stupid redhead was getting on my nerves. I mean, yeah, she could die, but freaking out about it wasn't going to change anything, was it? How counter-productive.

What exactly was so special about this girl anyway?

"What's she like?"

Hank hesitated suspiciously.

"Well?" I demanded.

"Zoey's smarter than I am, and stronger," he said finally. "She's the kindest, most compassionate person I've ever met. I feel like I'm a better person around her. She's my best friend. I can tell her anything."

He could talk to her the way he could never talk to me.

Hank didn't say it, but I heard it loud and clear anyway. The way he spoke about her, with this stupid love struck look on his face, irritated me. He acted like this girl was _so_ perfect, like she made him happier than he could've ever dreamed.

It made me angry- so angry I almost wanted to turn around and leave. Let Little Miss Perfect die, see if I cared.

Hank didn't _deserve_ to be that happy. Not after the things he said to me that night before Cuba, and not after he spent so much time denying his gifts and hating himself. No one should be that happy when they couldn't even accept themselves. It wasn't _fair. _Not when _I-_

"Sounds like a real winner," I noted acidly. "How'd she end up with a guy like you?"

"Sometimes I ask myself that same question," Hank murmured quietly.

He sounded sincere. So he _knew_ how much he didn't deserve happiness, the bastard.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry about the things I said that night before Cuba," he said suddenly. "I've always wondered how much my words affected your choice to leave with Erik."

I snorted. "Don't flatter yourself," I snapped. "I had to get away from my brother or I would've never been my own person. _You_ had nothing to do with it."

Like I cared what he thought.

I was Mystique- strong, wild and free. His insults back then had no effect on me, just proved how blind and narrow-minded he was. The tears in my eyes that night were because I pitied his limited view of beauty, his hatred for himself...

I shook my head disparagingly.

Damn right he apologized to me. I deserved an apology... Even if I didn't care what he said...

_Now,_ Charles' voice said suddenly, cutting into my musings.

Hank took off like a bullet from a gun, leaving me in the dust. He'd already taken out two guys by the time I caught up to him.

"Hurry up," he snarled. "This way."

I wanted to punch him for being so snippy. I didn't _have_ to be here to help, but he was treating me like some kind of third wheel.

He ran off again, knocking rednecks out along the way as we got further into the building until we reached a left hand junction.

_Stop_, Charles' voice cautioned. _Around the corner is the freezer and all of the guards. Raven should go in first._

I slipped on a disguise easily and smugly walked by Hank.

See? You needed me for something, Beast. Now it wouldn't hurt to show some gratitude.

There were eight FOH morons in the hallway, standing guard in front of a freezer door. All of them were carrying semi-automatic weapons, and between the eight of them they probably had less IQ points than my little finger.

"Hey, Jonesy," one of the hicks said. "What's going on? We keep hearing-"

And then I worked my magic, taking all of them out with ease. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, handling these idiots.

They really didn't deserve to live. And they certainly didn't deserve to rule society and lord over what was obviously a superior race.

"There's a padlock on the door," I noticed when they were all knocked out. "Should we-?"

Hank reached out and ripped the door's steel handle off. Then he dug his claws into the jamb and wrenched the door open.

Why did he have to be so sexy and so stupid and annoying at the same time?

Cold, misty air immediately rushed out of the freezer. Inside I could see a glowing light.

"Zoey?" Hank asked hopefully.

"Hank," a female voice cooed.

Ugh. She made me want to barf.

The half-frozen redhead practically fell out of the freezer into her husband's arms. Hank lifted her up and started mumbling a bunch of nonsensical, cheesy bull crap that made my urge to retch stronger.

It got even worse when they started to kiss and the pipsqueak started to assure him she was ok. She was being all comforting and reassuring to him. It was disgusting, how weak they both were about each other.

"Th-the baby?" Hank asked hopefully, putting her down. He reached out and put a hand on her stomach.

The baby?

"Fine, I think," she replied with a simpering smile. Her hand covered his.

Pregnant. She was pregnant with Hank's child.

They were going to go home together and live in a house with a white picket fence and have a baby and live happily ever after.

And me?

I thought of my _Liebling, _my little Nightcrawler with a pang. I would probably never see my child again, never see him grow. I gave Kurt up to keep him safe, so I could continue on with my mission. I couldn't be a mother to him when I was too busy fighting for him and all our kind.

But would these two ever appreciate my sacrifices for mutant kind? Would they ever _understand_?

No, of course not. The fools.

I cleared my throat pointedly, making them both jump. They'd been so busy whispering vapid sweet nothings to each other that they'd forgotten my presence.

"Hello, Mystique," the little weakling said uncertainly.

I ignored her. "Can you have this little reunion on the jet? We're still in enemy territory, here," I snapped.

Sentimental idiots.

"Let's get you out of here," Hank said, taking her hand. "Do you need me to carry you or do you want to walk?"

I don't think I can walk very far," his wife replied.

Such a weakling. What a tragedy that she seemed to have strong powers, but was too pathetic to use them.

"It's ok, my love," Hank said soothingly.

Ugh. Seriously, if I spent any more time around them I was going to lose my lunch for sure.

He scooped her up and started heading out. I lead the way, since his hands were full of his whiny little wife.

We were almost out, home free. One more hallway and we'd be at the front door and the freedom beyond.

And then two FOH assholes stumbled into our path, with submachine guns at the ready. They both looked like Christmas had come early.

Really?

I couldn't believe that I might be about to die for that stupid little redhead. The plan was for _her_ to hopefully kick the bucket, not take me along with her!

This was _definitely_ not how I expected to spend my Friday night.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Thank you to Cloudcity'sBookworm, NotMarge, NicoleR85, Rasha007, and kmj1989 for the reviews! Rasha, I definitely agree with you. It's one of those things where you know, deep down, that you're wrong. So it's rather offensive when people are doing the right thing. It just reminds you of your bad choices and pisses you off!_

_So this is it, the final chapter. There's definitely some irony in this chapter over how Raven views Hank and Zoey's relationship and what she thinks will happen in regards to helping mutant kind. It made me smile to write it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into Raven's poisonous thoughts. Rasha, thank you for the inspiration! I think I need a shower to wash away all the spitefulness. Thank you for reading, and I hope all of you stick around for the end of Take A Chance. :-)_

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><p><strong>Part Three<strong>

"Don't move!" one of the boys shouted, his eyes gleaming madly. "Or we'll turn you into mutant Swiss cheese!"

The other started giggling- he _had_ to be high or something.

Hank and I froze, trying to assess the situation.

The punks were too far away for me to reach without getting shot at. Pistols I might've managed to avoid, but not submachine guns. Hank probably could've made it, if his hands weren't full of a certain prissy mutant at the moment. And I knew he wouldn't even try to attack them if his precious darling was there, a moving target. We couldn't even make a run for it back in the other direction fast enough.

We were trapped.

"Let's kill them," the giddy boy said eagerly. "They'll _have_ to make us full members after this."

I bit back a hiss.

Could this really be happening? Was I _seriously_ about to die because of Hank McCoy's stupid self-esteem issues?

Because this really was all his fault. Yeah, pipsqueak should've been able to protect herself from the assholes who kidnapped her, but really- she wouldn't have had to in the first place if it weren't for Hank's vanity.

If there was no serum, there'd be no kidnappers who believed he could develop a cure. It was that simple. And now his wife- and his ex-girlfriend- would die right in front of him.

If I wasn't about to get riddled full of bullet holes I would've been a little amused over the irony. Who would've thought that at the end of it all, it would be _me_ next to Hank as we died? I certainly never imagined that.

I felt bitterness flood through me, a cold hatred directed not only at the men about to kill me, but at Hank as well. I didn't want this to be the end of my story. I still had so much left to do, so many mutants to protect!

Thanks _a lot_, Beast, I wanted to say. We're all going to die because of _you_.

But I wasn't about to go down without letting those FOH morons knowing exactly what I thought of them.

"_Homo sapiens_," I spat. "You think killing us will do anything? There are _thousands_ more just like us. One day mutants will rise up and destroy you all, and you and all your guns will be powerless to stop-"

"Shut up!" the first kid shouted, holding his gun up higher. "Let's kill all these freaks."

Their fingers went to squeeze the triggers-

Hank started to turn away, shielding his wife's body with his-

And then the girl snapped her fingers, and both gun-toting morons screamed like little girls as the magazines of their guns blew out the bottoms so hard it shattered the concrete at their feet.

I didn't stop to think about it- as soon as the enemy was distracted, I attacked. I flipped one boy over my shoulder and kicked the other right in the face, breaking his nose with a very satisfactory crunch.

I was tempted to do more- maybe break some fingers, shatter an elbow or two- but Hank ran by, clutching his wife against him tightly, and I thought it would probably be best to follow.

One minute later all three of us were out of the building and headed for the trees and the jet beyond.

"Charles!" Hank called out. "Charles, we've got her!"

_Splendid. I'll let the others know._

Oh, _now_ he was paying attention.

"Where the hell were you two seconds ago when we had machine guns aimed at our heads?" I angrily shouted at him.

I almost died because he apparently got distracted? Damn right, I was mad.

_I'm so sorry, love, Alex and Erik were having- a bit of a disagreement._

Alex. He probably got all protective over the human scum or something during the scuffle. I could imagine the hotheaded blonde standing up for the FOH monsters if Erik got a little rough with them. Even _if_ they would kill him without batting an eyelash.

That's what made the X-Men so utterly confusing- their complete lack of self-preservation. There's a difference between having a respect for lifeforms that are worthy (which the FOH certainly _weren't_) and altruism to the point of being suicidal.

By then we reached the Blackbird, where Charles started fawning over Little Miss Perfect and the fact that she was pregnant.

That irked me to no end- mostly because it just reminded me that Charles would never get to meet his nephew. Kurt would never have an uncle who doted on him...

"Can we get out of here now?" I demanded, plopping down in a seat.

"Just a minute, love," Charles replied.

Hank sat down across from me and pulled his wife into his lap. He held her tightly and nuzzled her hair as she cuddled against him. How nauseating to watch.

Really, it felt like Hank was trying to rub the fact that he had someone who loved him in my face. As if I cared...

Loving like that was a weakness. Hadn't that been proven today? The little redhead was the chink in Hank's armor, the weak link that, if threatened, would bring him to his knees.

Not letting yourself get close to anyone, that was the way to remain strong. _I_ gave away my child, to make sure no one could ever use him against me. It left me free to focus on my mission, only having to protect myself. In the end, _I_ would do so much more for our kind than Hank, lost in his selfish love, ever would.

Thankfully the others showed up soon after that, saving me from watching Hank and his wife making more gooey eyes at each other.

Erik and Alex both looked a little worse for wear, which seemed to indicate things had gotten physical between them.

I admired Erik's restraint, though I knew it was only because he still hoped (despite the fact that this rescue mission had been successful) that we still might be able to sway one of them over to our side.

I'd already given up. If I couldn't get Hank, the damaged party in this whole situation, to change sides there really wasn't any hope. They were all too set in their namby-pamby ways to ever listen to reason about humanity.

Though I tried to ignore them, my eyes kept trailing back over to Hank and the pipsqueak on the jet ride home.

As I watched them whisper lovingly to each other, it occurred to me that the little redhead had actually saved my life doing whatever she did back at the slaughterhouse. I assumed she ignited the gunpowder of the bullets in the magazines to make them explode.

It was a dangerous choice. An admirable one, really. Hank certainly wouldn't have been bold enough to make that decision. The little redhead-

Wait? What was I even _thinking_? I didn't owe that girl anything, and certainly not admiration for the crazy choice she made. I wouldn't have even _been_ there if it weren't for her getting herself kidnapped! And what if all the bullets came shooting out at us at once? She could've killed us all! And I was just there as an innocent bystander, trying to save her stupid self!

My moment of weakness put me in a bad mood. A mood that got worse, if that was even possible, when we got back to the school and had a trio of human women waiting for us. Charles' wife, a redhead I vaguely recognized as Sean's wife, and an unfamiliar brunette.

Ugh. A human welcoming committee. If we needed proof that the X-Men would never change sides, that was definitely it.

"Zoey!" the redheaded human cried when Hank carried his wife out of the plane. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," the pipsqueak simpered. "Just tired."

Hank set her down so the humans could surround her and coo over her, like she was the second coming of the Virgin Mary or something. The way they all treated her like she was some sort of princess set my teeth on edge.

Then again, considering the fact that she was a mutant, Little Miss Perfect _was_ better than the human females doting on her. Just by virtue of being part of a superior species.

Once they were done fawning over her, the women turned to the X-Men and started to do the same to them. It actually made me feel a little queasy, seeing the easy familiarity between humans and mutants after so many years on my part of avoiding fraternizing with the lesser species.

Yup. I almost died tonight for a complete waste of time. Erik was wrong- _nothing_ was going to change the minds of these human-loving fools.

He seemed to finally acquiesce after Alex called him a "crazy murdering bastard who gives all of us a bad name."

"Alex," Charles sighed hopelessly. Always the peacemaker, my brother. "You-"

"It's fine, old friend. We can tell where we're not wanted," Erik interjected. He eyed all of them with contempt. "We should get going. Mystique?"

I nodded, carefully hiding my strong desire to get the hell out of there, away from those idiots who weren't even worth my notice. "Goodbye, Charles."

We turned to leave.

"Wait!" an irritatingly sweet voice called out.

We turned to see Hank's wife shuffling towards us unsteadily. He followed behind her like a big fuzzy shadow, like he couldn't _bear_ to be away from her for even a second.

Gross.

"Thank you, Magneto, for saving me," the girl said earnestly. "You didn't have to, and I appreciate it."

Barf.

Erik didn't reply, but he gave her a faint smile before he turned away.

The traitor! Even _he_ was affected by this girl's cutesy, sickly sweet ways?

It had to be the freckles and the big doe eyes or something. People saw how delicate she looked and wanted to protect her. That had to be it.

"And thank you, Mystique," the pipsqueak added, before I could follow.

I raised my eyebrows in disdain. "I didn't do it for you," I replied stiffly.

It was a struggle not to smirk at her. If only she knew that the only reason I'd come was to try to steal her husband away, to turn him against the X-Men. That I'd hoped our little rescue attempt would fail, so Hank would be so torn up I could easily swoop in and "comfort" him. She wouldn't be thanking me_ then_, would she?

"Even so," she retorted, "can't you just be polite for once and say 'you're welcome?'"

The nerve of that girl! If she wasn't carrying a mutant baby, I would've slapped her.

I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome. And congratulations on your _Beast spawn_," I spat out, before turning around and walking away.

Go have your perfect family, with your fool of a husband while I stay out on the front lines and help our kind. Silly, sheltered little girl.

"Thank you," she called out behind me.

What a waste of a Friday night.

They were all too stupid and blind to change, and I hoped I never saw any of them (except my brother, of course) ever again. It was just too painful to see them waste their gifts on such a hopeless cause. Especially Hank. If only he...

"It was worth a try," Erik murmured soothingly as we left. "I really thought-"

And then he gave a wistful sigh.

We went back to our hotel room together, both lost in our own thoughts about our failure and our attempts to change the minds of the men who were once our closest friends and allies. If only they would see the truth about humanity! If only, if only.

Both of us, I think, were wondering at what could've been.


End file.
